When G4 Ends... What then?

[Feather Scribbles 194]

Look, I don't want anyone speculating on G5 possibly being aired within the next few years or so. We all know that MLP: FiM G4 cannot last forever; such is the life cycle of any form of entertainment. (Or anything, really.)

But currently, the size of the MLP fandom (including *bronies) is really somewhat staggering. It is also a well-known fact that MLP isn't as popular as it used to be with adolescents and adults. But will the end of G4 be the final nail in the coffin? After a year or two after G4 ends, will the Cons (eg. BronyCon) officially come to a close? Will the fanbase die down, and thus sites like this will close? The answer: It may be inevitable.

Ssome reasons why people love the show are the storylines, the 3-dimensional characters, the adventures, the intricate world, the animation, etc. are all crucial factors to the show's success.

My question is... When G4 finally ends (and following a few years after), do you see the fanbase - and the phenomena - fading away?

(Note: We should all enjoy and love the show while it is still with us. Do not think about the future.)

(*I personally dislike the term "brony/bronies". No offense, but I think "fans of the show" is a more appropriate and acceptable term.)

Edited January 30, 2018 by Feather Scribbles

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Feather Scribbles said:

love and tolerance

Show never actually says that, ever.

That being said... Some people will stick around and give Gen 5 a chance, others won't.

[Feather Scribbles 194]

Just now, Key Sharkz said:

Show never actually says that, ever.

That being said... Some people will stick around and give Gen 5 a chance, others won't.

Fair point. Removed that from the description. My bad.

[ShiftyLips69 24]

Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people won't like gen 5 and will stick to the one that so many people have already established themselves in, which, if you look at the leaked concept art and ideas for gen 5, will probably happen quite a bit

 

Image of grass:

Edited January 30, 2018 by ShiftyLips69
forgot my image of grass

[LeafFerret 3,382]

I may stick around when G5 comes around, otherwise, I may focus on my own project which is still in its early stages.

[Guest]

I say if tons of people jump ship: good.

Don't need those impossible to please, closed-minded flakes anyway. If they can't approach Gen 5 with an open mind and give it a fair chance, who needs them?

[UltimateGhost3 498]

then we move onto gen 5, that's how things are just going to be. Will it be sad to see gen 4 go? yeah, but you know season 1 of gen 5 will be watched by millions of gen 4 fans, and how gen 5 ends up affecting the fandom is up in the air till it eventually happens. Good news is it seems that we won't have to wait for years to see it since it appears that it may take place right after gen 4's end, or at least a year hiatus like we have seen before. I personally will watch it, and see how my reactions to it lead me to continue being an active watcher of the show. I can say for sure that I will continue to be a part of the community for a time unless I despise the new cannons of gen 5 and how the new fans from the new show treat the gen 4 fans and such, I believe that the ideals of Love and Tolerance we all know will still be the basis of the mlp community after the end of gen 4, and will continue on into gen 5, and I also know that a lot of fans may leave and some sites may shut down because of it, but the big ones such as Equestria Daily, MLP Fourms, and Fimfiction will thrive in the drop.

[Megas 27,052]

G4 fans are so gonna be the Gee-wunners of the My Little Pony fandom

Meanwhile, I'm gonna go ahead and give G5 a fair shot

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

In the end I think the fandom will go through some sort of evolution. In regards to conventions I expect more to close, with only the bigger ones and/or the ones willing to dip their toes into other fandoms to survive. Of course, G5 may very well surprise us all, but let's not get too far ahead.

In regards to me I'll at least give G5 a chance. I remember back when Spyro went through his own eras. After the classic games ended with A Hero's Tail the series transitioned into more of a dark fantasy setting with the Legend of Spyro trilogy before again transitioning to Skylanders. A lot of franchises will go through that change, and MLP is an especially good example of that.

[GreenGreenWhirlWind 161]

 I honestly don't know what's going to happen, and that uncertainty has been pestering me for a good while now, but whatever happens i'm going to stay around here and see it for myself, i'm not ready to jump the boat just yet.

 It's safe to assume that many people are going to leave the fandom, but the most hardcore fans among us are going to stick around regardless of what happens, and those hardcore fans are going to talk about the new show once it comes out, and new people are going to find out about it and get into it, so if anything this shift might bring some new faces into the fanbase

 Like others have pointed out i have no doubt that some cons and sites are going to close down, that's just the way these things are, but the big names among the two aren't going anywhere. The MLP YouTubers aren't going anywhere either and neither are most of us, so for the time being i'd say we're gonna be ok.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

I don't imagine much will happen at all. Fan content may slow down. The big cons won't go anywhere. A bunch of people will leave, or threaten to leave, and most will come back once G5 hits.

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

Well I'm excited for G5, so I won't have any problem switching over. I'm gonna miss G4 though. 

[TBD 17,228]

Now we wait.....for judgement day of the G5 to come.

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I don't see the fandom fading away though a large number might choose to leave because their attachment to generation four was what kept them around. I still believe that the current generation will become a cult classic in the future--after a number of years have passed--with diehard fans sticking around to keep it going. I mean, look at other fandoms. They continue going long after their programs had reached their conclusion. Me? I'm going to give generation five a chance.

[TS Lightner 269]

Well personally I'm trying to start a fanmade FiM episode series, which if it succeeds in getting off the ground, could end up becoming the new central FiM (G4) based content.

[Mystic Brush 102]

On 1/30/2018 at 6:58 AM, Key Sharkz said:

I say if tons of people jump ship: good.

Don't need those impossible to please, closed-minded flakes anyway. If they can't approach Gen 5 with an open mind and give it a fair chance, who needs them?

Same

Also, they would be a bit hypocritical would they not?

I mean. bronies were skeptical of watching mlp in the first place due to the past generations They ended up loving it. Now that a new gen is coming, they're threatning to leave the fandom just because the change of art style.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

Just wait for Gen 5...? 

[PacificGreen 1,163]

When it comes around, I'll try to approach G5 with an open mind. But it probably won't hold the same place in ny heart as G4.

[Props Valroa 25,979]

What then? I'll be quite glad. I don't really know, though.

[Dreambiscuit 8,022]

When G4 is done, some fans may move on to other interests but there'll be plenty of die hard ones that'll stick around. For those who do, there may be new treasures to discover in G5. I'll be around to check it out for sure. 

[BornAgainBrony 2,395]

I'm definitely worried about it. I've been thinking of working on some kind of writing project about how to combat this very thing. Take a look at Furries. They've been a fandom that has been very slowly growing, and they don't even need a show to rally around. They create their own content and that's good enough to not only keep them going, but keep them growing, and some of their conventions last a whole WEEK!. Something like this will need to happen to supplement G4, and also G5 if it ends up being an unmitigated disaster. There are hints of this happening already though. Look at Ciderfest. While it's classified as a Bronycon, its core focus isn't actually the show, but rather music created by fans. First and foremost, it's a music festival. Yes, it has other typical Bronycon stuff going on, but music is at its core. As a result, it doesn't need Hasbro to survive. What it needs is musicians. I would love to see cons extend this concept to more than just music. Events that regularly premiere all sorts of things. A still-art gallery for traditional artists, screenings of new shorts and animations, etc, sort of like a Sundance festival. LARP events like what the Potter fandom does, renting out castles and having mock-Warts for a weekend. There's a lot that can be done that mostly hasn't even been tried yet. I'd be happy just to have a place a few times a year where MLP fans can just all gather, chill and hangout. I don't need for there to be tons of epic guests with signatures to chase after, or lots of panels. Just give me a cafe full of Ponies-at-heart and I'd be there for a weekend.

In the end, it isn't up to Hasbro to keep Equestria alive. It's up to us.

Edited September 9, 2018 by bornAgainEquestrian

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

In the unlikely event that G5 ends up being a real thing, I may look at an episode, but G4 will always remain as my main focus.

I think G4 should remain the main focus of these forums too.

This community has been and always will be home to me. I'll probably remain on MLP Forums and keep my OC's, headcanons, and everything on the G4 side.

I just hope others would remain here on these Forum too. The community here is too amazing and I can't imagine life without you guys.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Lucid_Nightlight

[Midnight Solace 5,129]

When FiM ends, so will my life... I have nothing to talk about, look forward to and live for.

[Nsxile 25,630]

When G4 is done, I do think there will be a gradual decline of the population of the fandom. 

[Splashee 28,537]

It looks like G4 ended, but in a month we will have some G5, so maybe not so bad of a future?